The DeanBeat: Console games are not dead yet

We all remember titles about how console games are dead or dying. Mobile games, PC games, Android set-top boxes, virtual reality and cloud games were all going to kill the consoles.

After checking Rockstar's amazing console game, Red Dead Redemption 2, I still have to laugh at this idea. The Rockstar ode to the death of the Western American will be launched Oct. 26 on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One – the two major hardcore game consoles. This game could be so successful that it should crush this notion on the death of consoles once and for all.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch has just launched a long-awaited online multiplayer mode, giving players a reason to stick with their games longer on the portable hybrid device. Globally, this generation of consoles has sold to 140.6 million units since 2014, according to the estimated estimates of VGchartz.com, against 274 million consoles sold in the previous generation. The consoles may not exceed the previous figure, but the growth of this console generation is not pitiful. The Switch sold 19.7 million units in the first 15 months and sold 87 million games.

Above: The console war is always hot.

Image credit: Rockstar Games

NDP said that in the US market, total sales of gaming equipment, software and accessories rose 17% to $ 6.43 billion in 2018. But after seeing the latest Rockstar title, I can To predict The game that could give him serious problems is the other game of Rockstar, the Grand Theft Auto V, which is five years old and should sell 100 million copies. Rockstar reinforces the prospects of Red Dead Redemption 2 with Red Dead Online, coming in November.

This week, Rockstar unveiled the gameplay of Red Dead Redemption 2, and pushes the boundaries of video games in immersive gameplay and complex storytelling in open worlds. It is persistent, immersive and intimate – using today's best console technology and showing how an open world and storytelling must not conflict. It will be a great experience, where locals will remember you and react based on what you did in their city the last time you were there.

According to Newzoo market specialist, mobile games have become a $ 70.3 billion business, the largest part of the gaming market to $ 137.9 billion in 2018. But games on consoles should be segment n ° 2 this year, with revenues of $ 34.6 billion, or just over $ 32.9 billion for PC games. And the growth rate of consoles should be 25% this year, said Newzoo.

The mobile gaming sector has spawned companies such as MZ, which has generated $ 4 billion in sales through games such as Game of War and Mobile Strike. But to put things in perspective, the 100 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V total more than $ 6 billion in sales, not to mention sales of virtual items in the highly resilient GTA Online.

Above: Red Dead Redemption 2 has incredible graphics.

Image credit: Rockstar Games

Of course, China has become the largest market and sales of PC and mobile games in China. The consoles never took off, thanks to severe government regulations. But the Chinese government has delayed the release of new games due to concerns about addiction and myopia. This could hurt all segments of the market, but the console industry has little exposure to this threat.

And even though it's not necessary that a rocket scientist discovers that Red Dead Redemption 2, with seven years of pent-up demand for Western gaming, will be a blockbuster, the console market has not missed big hits. . Marvel's Spider-Man has sold more than 3.3 million copies in its first three days on the PlayStation 4, exceeding the record set earlier this year by God of War on the PS4. Some great games have already come out for the fall, like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and we have headlines like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on October 12th and Battlefield V on November 20th. do not be outside this party, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will come for the Switch on December 7th.

Does the console game business face long-term threats? Sure. By their nature, consoles are proprietary machines and they will face the threat of open standards adopted by competitors such as Android and the Windows PC, who can adopt new technologies faster. Players can force the owners of the console to give them the right to sell used games, to restrict the use of greedy monetization schemes or to force cross-platform gaming (as we do). we saw with Fortnite).

Above: Call of Duty: The Blackout Mode of Black Ops 4.

Image credit: Activision

But if I bought a console, I would not mind the fact that Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo could crash and burn and stop supporting their machine with new games. It's time to challenge the tribal notion that console games must die for PC games or mobile games to develop. It's foolish, because these three segments feel like they're solid for years to come.